baldwin



5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

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5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

C. W. BALDWIN..

HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR.

Patented Nov. 1, 1881.A

(No Model.) 5 sheetssheet 3. O. W. BALDWIN.

HYDRAULIC ELBVATOR. No. 248,908. Patented NOV. 1,1881.

/WMNMEM (N0 Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

C. W. BALDWIN. HYDRAULIC 1118111111011.

No. 248,908. PatendNov. 1,1881.

DNrrEn .STATES PATENT OEEicE.

OYRUS W. BALDVIN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,908, dated November1, 1881.

Application tiled March 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all 'Lr/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crans W. BALDw1N,a citizen ot' the United States,now residing in London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hydraulic Elevators, of which the following is a t'nll,clear, and eXact description.

My invention relates to that class of hoisting-engines in which aninelastic iiuid under pressure acts upon and imparts movement to one ormore pistons, the object of my invention being to remedy difficultiesincident to such engines as heretofore constructed, render the apparatusless complex, facilitate the operation and manipulation, and preventinjury resulting from the sudden stoppage of the outlet, as well asprevent said outlet from being fully closed until the speed ofthe pistonis reduced.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is anelevation showing a vertical apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. lais a detached side view; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation Fig. 3, atransverse section on the line y y, Fig. 1 5 Fig. 4, an elevation ot'the parts shown in Fig. 3, partly in section; Fig. 5, a part section onthe line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a side elevation ot' the parts shown inFig. 5 and adjuncts; Figs. 7 andS, section elevations of the valve-chestand valves, showing the valves in different positions; Fig. 7, adetached view ot part of the. packing-ring;

Fig. 9, a part plan ot' one of the pistons; Fig.

10, a sectional elevation ot' a piston; Fig. 1l, an inverted plan of thepiston.` The views 4 to 11 are drawn to an enlarged scale.

In many of its general features the apparatus shown is similar to thatfor which Let-ters Patent of the United States were granted to me on the2d day of April, 1878.

A and B are two cylinders, which may be are separated by a partition, apart, C, of which is horizontal or transverse, and a part, O', verticalor longitudinal. The part C carries a stuffing box i'or the piston-rodB2, and in the part O is made an opening,s, which forms the only directmeans ot' communication between the cylinders A and B. This opening isclosed by an ordinary clack-valve, O2, Fig. 3, which, when there is nopressure ot' water in the cylinder B, is free to open or close; butwhenthe water under pressure is turned on the valve will fall naturally toits seat, thereby obviating the objections to the use oi' spring-valves,which are apt to get out of order, and which in ust necessarily beemployed when the valveseat is horizontal.

D is the supply-pipe, in connection at DX with a cistern or the citymains or reservoir, containing an inelastic fluid under pressure, andopening atits upper end into the cylinder A, and at its lower end intothe valve-chest E.

F is the discharge-pipe from the cylinder B into the valve-chamber s3.The valve-chest E contains a stopping and starting valve, E4, (shown asa series ot' disk-Valves,) the construction and working ot' which isfully described in the specification ot' my aforesaid patent and otherpatents granted to me.

E is a pulley suitably mounted, and round which passes the endless cordfor stopping and starting the apparatus. rlhis cord passes through thecar and round a pulley on the upper part ofthe litt-framing, and isworked by the attendant in the car. On the axle of the pulley E is apinion, E?, which gears with a rack, E3, attached to the stem of thediskvalves, and by which they are worked.

I take the supply of water for the cylinder B direct from thesupply-pipe D, the connection being provided with a cut-ott' valve, b,to be hereinafter described.

The discharge-passage from the upper cylinder, which in the formerpatented machine was made in the walls of the lower cylinder I dispensewith, and in place thereof I employ an external pipeH, which l connectat its` upper end in any' convenient ina-nner to the cylinder A, and atits lower end with the discharge-passage F of the cylinder B. By thusarranging these passages I am enabled to sirnplit'y the constructionboth ot' the lower cylinder, B, and the valve-chest E, as in the latterI dispense with one of the openings into Ioo the valve-chamber andreduce the throw of the valve.

The supply-opening in the cylinder A and the discharge-passage in thecylinder B are so arranged that should any accident occur to theapparatus, the discharge ofthe water from one or other of these openingswill be partially stopped, and a cushion of water will be formed in onecase above the -piston A, and in the other case below the. piston B,which will prevent the pistons striking against the cylinder ends. Tothis end the cylinder-head consists ot' a circular box or casing, l',through which the piston-rod A2 passes. The top of the box I is providedwith a stuing-box for the piston-rod, and iu the bottom of the box I isone or more circular openings, t, to receive corresponding plugs, J, ot'somewhat less diameter, and mounted in any convenient manner adjustablyon the piston -rod A2, immediately above the piston. The supply-pipe Dcolumnnicatcs with the box I. The bottom end ot' the cylinder B isclosed by a similar hollow head or casing, I. In this case, however, nostuifing-box is required when the piston does not descend through it,and the circular opening is made in the top ot' the box l to receive acircular plug,J, also of less diameter than the openingl, and secured inany convenient manner adjustably, if desired, to the under side of thepiston B. The discharge-passage F communicates with this box.

It will be seen that should the piston A', from any accidental cause,rise to thetop of the cylinder A, so that the plug J enters the openingin the bottom of the box I, the discharge of water from the top ofthecylinderA will be partially (and gradually it' the plug is tapering) cutotl", and the working ot` the apparatus will be retarded, while thestriking ot' the pistou against the cylinder end will be prevented bythe cushion ot water which will be formed in the cylinder above thepiston. In like manner the plug J, entering the opening in the box I',will gradually and partially close the discharge ot' water from thebottom ofthe cylinder B with results similar to those indicated above.

I would here remark that when in ordinary work it is not proposed thatthe piston shall rise or fall to such an extent as to cause the plugs Jor J to enter the openings in their respective boxes I and I.

G is a hollow casting or conduit and valvecase, which is bolted orotherwise secured to the supply-pipe D and the cylinder B. In the sidesof this casting is formed an annular passage, a, which communicates atone side with the inlet-port s', closed by a piston-valve or othervalve, b, mounted on apiston rod, c, which maybe worked either byhydraulic power or mechanically from the valve-stem l. When hydraulicpower is to be employed for working this piston the piston-rod c, whichprojects through a suitable stung-box, may be connected to asuitably-placed counterweighted rocking arm, the object ot' which is toalways maintain the piston b at its highest position and close theopening into the passage a. (See Fig. 4.) A pipe, B4, in connection withthe discharge-passage F, communicates with the valve-case G at d, and isprovided with a cock, B2, which is opened and closed in any convenientmanner from the valve-stein l or otherwise. Then the cock is opened thewater in the pipe and under the piston b will escape into the dischargeF, and the pressure ot' the supply-water from the pipe I) will forcedown the piston b and open the passage a, thereby allowing water to flowinto the top of' the cylinder B.

To prevent the too sudden descent ot the piston b when the pressure isexerted on its upper surface, I make two or more holes in the piston,which will allow some of the water to pass through to the under side,land thus form a temporary cushion before it escapes down the pipe intothe discharge F. When the cock is closed the water will continue to llowthrough the. openings in the piston until the pipe is full, when thecolumn ofwater in the pipe will neutralize the pressure ot' the water onthe piston b, which will be caused to rise into the position shown atFig, 4 by the action ot' the counterwcight.

When mechanical means are to be employed for opening the passa ge a., Iconnect the pistonrod 0 by means of a link-rod, c', to one arm of abell-crank lever, c, which is pivoted to a bracket, c', carried by thesupply-pipe D. (See Figs. l, 2, 5, and 6.) The other arm of this lever eis provided with a pill or stud, e2, which works in a slotted plate, j',attached to the rack E3 of the spindle l. When the pin e2 is in theposition shown yat Fig. 2 the piston-valve b will be raised, and theopening a will be closed, as seen at Fig. 4; but when, through therising or falling of the plate j', the pin c2 is brought past either ofthe inclined portions to the ends ot the slot (into the position shownat Fig. 6, for instance) the lever e will be rocked on its center anddepress the rod c, which will, in turn, draw down the piston b and openthe passage a.

The slot in the plate f is so arranged that the supply of water underpressure to the cylinder B shall be cnt off while the dischargeopening Fis closed. The central portion of said slot is of such length that theordinary movements of the spindle l to open and close the ports of thecylinder A may be effected without any movement ot' the lever c andvalve b,- but by a slightly-increased movement in either direction thevalve b may be lowered either to admit the motor tluid upon the piston Bto increase the power, or to open communication with the pipe D, whenthe pistons rise, to facilitate the descent ot' the load. The like der.

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rangements, by a butterfly-valve, h, the stem of which projects throughthe walls of the casting and carries at its outer end a counterweightedfinger, h. The valve It is closed by a rod, h2, (secured in anyconvenient manner to and descending with the piston-rod A2,) strikingagainst the end of the finger h, which rocks the valve on vits centerand brings it into the position shown at Fig. 2, the inger assuming theposition shown at Fig. la. l As the rod h2 ascends with the piston-rodA2 it will allow the valve h to open by the action ofthe counterweig'ht.

To stop the ascent of the car, the discharge F is closed, and as therewill then be no eXit for the water from below the pistons, the pressureof water above the pistons will be neutralized, and the working oftheapparatus will be necessarily arrested. The too-sudden closing, however,of this discharge F will cause a shock or jerk to the car when stopping,and will also tend to strain considerably the parts of the apparatus.Asa means ofpreventingthese shocks or jerks, which are most detrimentalin this class of machinery, I employ a valve so formed and arranged asto throttle to a great extent the discharge-opening F from thevalve-chamber s3. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 2 and in theenlarged sectional views at Figs. 7 and 8. The bottom ot' thevalve`chamber being open when the valves are raised into the positionshown at Fig. 7, a free discharge ot' the water from both cylinders, AB, when both are working, through the passageF takes place'. When onlyone cylinder is working, which is generally the case with a light load,a portion only of the water from cylinder A is discharged through pipe Hand dischargepassage F, the remainder passing through the clack valve G2into cylinder B above the piston B.

The valve-stem Z, I prolong to receive a conical valve, m, which is heldin the required position between a sleeve, l', on the stem l and aunt,m', screwed on the end thereof. The diameter ofthe valve m will dependupon the amount of throttle it is desired to give to the discharge,butin allcases it must be somewhat less than that of the passage F. Theconical valve works in a prolongation of the valvechamber E, anenlargement, s2, being' made therein to allow full space for the tlow ofthe discharge-water around the valve m. The diameter ot' thisenlargement should be such that when the valve fm is in the enlargement(see Fig. 7) the area of the annular space round the base ot' the coneshall be equal to the area ofthe opening F ofthe discharge-port F. (SeeFigs. 2 and S.)

lt will be seen, on referring to the respective figures, that the diskand conical valves are shownin three positions. In Fig. 7 the positionshown would be that assumed by the valves when the car is ascending withboth cylinders While in Fig. S the supply D is in connection with thedischarge-passage F, the valves h and b being also open, the pressure ofthe water is equalized on both sides ot` the piston, and the car willthus descend by its own weight, the water above the piston A beingforced out ot' the cylinder A at D into the supply-pipe D, and thencethrough the vaIve-chestE into the discharge F, and up the pipe H intothe cylinder A, below its piston A. In like manner the water abovepiston B is forced out vthrough the valve b into the supply-pipe D,whence it passes through the valve-chest E and discharge F into thecylinder B, below its piston B.

The stopping of the car in its descent is effected by raising the valvesinto the position shown at Fig. 2, when the connection between thepassages l) and F will be broken at the same time that thedischarge-passage F is closed. disk-valves, will gradually lessen thearea ot' the discharge-space round the base ot' the cone until it entersthe port Ei, from which point the discharge space will remain the same,and the speed ot the outtlow of the discharge-water \\ill becorrespondingly diminished. By this time the disk-valve will havedescended only about one-third of the depth of the discharge-opening F,and so long as any portion, however small, of the discharge F iemainsopen, the outtlow of the discharge-water will continue, but its speedwill be diminished so gradually that the tinal closing ot the opening Fwill be hardly perceived.

The valve m may form a prolongation of the lower disk-valve, and may beof any t'orm serving to gradually diminish the iiow of thedischarge-water before it can be wholly cut oft'.

I perforate the pistons A and B to allow the water under any momentaryunusual pressure to pass through the'm i'rom below to above the pistons.

The manner in which [construct my pistons is shown in detail, on anenlarged scale, at Figs. 9, 10, and 11. In these figures the piston isformed with an annular passage, i, therein. A number ot' circularopenings are made through the upper face ot' the piston, to communicatewith the passage t', and a series ot' enlarged openings, t2, are made inthe under side ofthe piston, also to communicate with the passage t'.The openings t', as well as the upper" face ot' the piston, are coveredby a diskvaive,f2, ot' india-rubber, or of other suitable material,which is secured to the piston by the cnllarj and clamping-screw. lo isthe packing, which is held in place by the ring lc', secured to theunder side ofthe piston by the screws k2.

Any unusual pressure ot' the water on the under side ot' the piston,whether produced by the closing ot' the discharge F during the rapiddescent of the piston, or by any other cause, will cause the valve f2 torise and allow some ofthe waterbelow it to pass upward into the spaceabove it until the pressure below is reduced, when the descent of thepiston will be arrested and the ascending car stopped.

The valve m, as it descends with theL IOO IIO

Sometimes it may be necessary, and perhaps desirable, to connect thedischarge-port ofthe valve-case E with a tank or reservoir to receivethe discharge-water. In this case the closing of the discharge wouldcause a back rush of the disch argewater and a consequentham mcring onthe conical and disk valves. To prevent this I employ' a relief-valve,K, (see Fig. 2,) which may consist of an ordinary clack-valve openinginward, inclosed in a suitable valvebox communicating with the conical-valve chamber by a short pipe.

The operation of this valve is as follows: The rushing out of the waterwill tend to cause a vacuum to form behinditand below the val ves, andwill cause the valve K to 'open and admit a sufficient quantity of airto fill the vacuum and form a cushion to prevent hammering or shock fromthe back rush ofthe water.

As it is very important that the top valve ofI which, n and n2, are ofthe same diameter, or

nearly so, as the valve-chamber s3, while the disk n is of lessdiameter'. The disk n is se cured in any convenient manner to thevalvestem t, and between the disks n and a', I place a disk of leatheror other suitable material, n3, the diameter of which shall be such thatwhen the disk is placed in the valve-chamber its edges shall turn downand present a fiat surface to the sides` ofthe valve-chamber E,constituting a cup-leather packing. The edges of the leather disk n3 arekept constantly in contact with thc cylinder E by a ring, n4, preferablyof india-rubber, and triangular-shaped in cross-section. (Sec Fig. 7 Theapex of this triangle is inserted between the periphery of the disk uand the flange of the leather disk n3, and the ring is suppoi ted inposition by the disk n2, which rests on the nut vr", screwed on thevalve-stem l.

Holes are made in the disks a n2, to allow water to pass into the spacebetween the edge of disk n2 and the inbber disk a4, the object being toprevent a vacuum being formed in the space, which would tend to draw theflat part ofthe rubber away fiom the valve-cylinder E. As the disk uwears away, it is only necessary to screw up the nut a5, when the ringa* will be caused to press outward the edges of the leather or otherdisk n3, and thus maintain the disk-valve water-tight.

\Vhile I have shown the valve-chest E with its ports communicating withthe pipe D leading to two cylinders, the'same arrangement of chest,parts, and valve is applicable, as are other features of my invention,where but a single cylinder is used.`

It will be obvious that various valve-operating appliances may beemployed in connection with the valves herein described; that the formsof the valves maybe changed; that va-` rious appliances may be used formanipulating them from the cage or from various parts of the apparatus;and that the structure of the different parts of the apparatus may bevaried according to the circumstances under which it must be employed,and yet retain thc features which constitute my improvements.

I do not here claim the perforated valve b combined with the pipeleading from below the valve and its cock, as this may constitute thesubject of a separate application for Letters Patent.

I claim- 1. The contiguous cylinders A B, their pistons and ports, andthe intermediate partition havinga longitudinal part., Gf, with anopening and a self-closing valve arranged vertically, substantially asset forth.

2. The combination ofthe cylinders A B and thel valve-chest E,communicating with both cylinders through two ports only, thecommunication with the ends farthest from the chest being through oneport and the pipe D, and with the ends nearest the chest through theother port and the passage F and pipe H, suhstantially as set forth.

3. 'Ihe combination, with the cylinder havingl a port, D', of a valve,h, arm hz, and appliances on the piston-rod whereby the valve is closedas the piston approaches the end of the cylinder, substantially as setforth.

4. The combination, with the contiguous cylinders A B and their pistons,each receiving water upon both sides, of the pipe or passage D,communicating with each cylinder near one end, and provided with avalve, b, controlling the passage to the cylinder B, and with appliancesfor actuating said val ve,snbstantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the valve b and valve-chest E and its valves E*and valvevoperating appliances,ofdeviccs whereby' the valve b is movedas the movementof the valves E* is completed, substantially as setforth.

6. The combination, with the valves E4 and operating appliances, andwith the valve b, ot' devices whereby said valve b is operated bycontinuing the movement of the appliances for operating the valves E4,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the valves E4, stem l, platejslotted, asdescribed,lever e, and valve b, connected to said lever, substantiallyas set forth.

e. The combination, with the valve-stem l,of the plate u, perforatedplates n n2, packing n3, and ringw, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the valves E4 and chest E, of asupplementaryvalve, m, arranged to partially close the outlet-port before thedischarge-port is fully closed, for the purpose set forth.

l0. In an elevator having a closed cylinder, piston, and pistonrod, thecombination, with the head ofthe operating-cylinder, of one or moreopenings through which the water passes from or to the port, andprojections carried by the piston or piston-rod and arranged topartially close said openings as the piston completes its stroke,substantially as set forth.

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11. In an elevator having a closed cylinder, 13. The combination of thedischarge-pipe piston, and piston-rod, the combination, with leadingfrom the valve-chest; E, of a hydraulic acylinder, of a chest, I,formingthe head,com elevator and an inlet-valve K, substantiallymunicating with the outlet-port, and having as set forth.

5 an opening, 1.3, adapted to a plug, J, carried with the piston,substantially as set forth. CYRUS W. BALDWIN1 12. The piston having`ports and provided Y with a relief Valve, in combination with the cyl-Witnesses inder, its inlet and outlet passages, and valve A. STANDING?,

1o for closing the latter,substantia1ly as set forth. WM. A. TALCOTT.

